Proper 22: Habbakuk 1: 1 – 13; 2: 1 – 4; Psalm 37: 1 – 18; II Timothy 1: 1 – 14; Luke 17: 5 – 10
Given at Trinity Church, Mt. Vernon, Illinois (on the occasion of the baptisms of Izabella Jo Newell and Walter Raleigh Newell III)
“Lord, increase our faith!” the disciples cry.
Our prayer, as well, particularly in times of stress and trouble, is often, “Lord, increase our faith!”
The disciples’ response to Jesus seems like a cry of desperation….The reason I say that is because Jesus has just turned to them (and away from the Pharisees who had mocked him, and to whom the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus[1] had been directed), and has spelled out in seemingly bleak terms what the life of the community of faith will look like in verses 1 – 5 of chapter 17, as follows:
- Occasions for sin are bound to happen, but woe to the person through whom these occasions for sin come.[2]
- If someone (in the household of faith) sins and comes, seeking forgiveness, you must forgive that person, even if they come offering repentance[3] even seven times in a day.
So the disciples’ response seems like a very appropriate one: “Lord, increase our faith!” (perhaps so as to be able to meet the challenges of life).
So, what about faith? What does Jesus have to say about faith?
As we take a closer look at today’s passage, two realities come to clarity:
- Faith is necessary to living the Christian life: “Lord, increase our faith” (or, literally in the Greek), “add to our faith” (the faith that we already have). Faced with difficult situations, for example, knowing that the body of the faithful will most certainly have to deal with sinful situations on a recurring basis is ample proof of the need for faith to carry us through the rough times that lie ahead.
- Faith can accomplish tremendous things: Jesus answers the disciples’ cry for help with a hyperbole, “if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree “Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” Faith is a powerful tool, made available to those who believe and who can, therefore, make use of its power.
Hebrews 11:1 defines faith this way, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see.”[4] Notice that faith provides the surety of the reality of God, and the certainty of what we cannot see (but can sense).
Faith is not formed out of nothing….Faith comes through the experiences of God that we have available to us. Resources for knowing God, and therefore, having faith in Him, might include: Holy Scripture, the community of faith (the church), the Sacraments (which are channels of God’s grace, given in unique ways), Godly parents and Godparents who know the Lord and who guide their children into the way of faith, God’s mighty acts, observed either in ourselves or in others (healings, deliverance from various types of addictions, etc). All of these and many more serve to help us to know God more fully, and therefore, to come to faith in Him.
“We live by faith, and not by sight,” St. Paul writes in II Corinthians 5:7. Implicit in Paul’s comment about faith is the idea that we are in between the experiences of God that we have available to us in this life, even as we await the full revelation of God which is ours through Holy Baptism once this life is over. For it is then that we will see God as He is, and will be fully known, as well.[5]
And so it is that, today, Izabella Jo Newell and Walter Raleigh Newell III take an important first step by following the Lord into the waters of baptism. For what the Sacrament of Holy Baptism signifies is that Izzy and Walter are children of God. And God extends His claim on their lives this day in a unique way, establishing ever more firmly and fully His love and claim on their lives.
Today, a journey begins as Izzy and Walter join hands with God, as they walk together, getting to know the Lord who leads them through the times that lie ahead, times that may be rough once in awhile. And as these two children of God get to know the Lord better, seeking to invite Him into the deepest parts of their minds and hearts, they will have their parents, Godparents and their faith community to help them to get to know the Lord intimately and deeply.
For it is often said that “Christianity if usually caught, not taught”,[6] implying that new believers get to be believers by seeing the proof of God’s presence and existence in the lives of others who already know the Lord, and who know Him well.
“Lord, increase our faith!”
AMEN.
[1] Read last Sunday. See Luke 16: 19 – 31.
[2] Luke 17: 1
[3] Verse 5
[4] New International Version (NIV) translation
[5] St. Paul explains the idea well in I Corinthians 13: 12, “Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”
[6] I have no idea who originated this saying.
